Short carp rods versus long carp rods

With rods like Nash Scopes and Dwarfs flying off the shelves, it's a debate that's increasingly common on the banks of UK carp fishing lakes.

We asked two top anglers with opposing views to set out the arguments on each side.

SHORT RODS

Alan loves his short Scope rods

Alan Blair, Nash Tackle

“All my life I had used 12ft rods, but then a few years ago Kevin Nash launched a range of shorter rods and I haven’t looked back.

"They’re so much easier to transport, whether that’s in my car, on my back or on a barrow.

“On the waters I fish I can get under canopies I couldn’t fish before and I can cast more accurately with them.

“With a shorter blank – 9ft of carbon compared with 12ft – there’s more feel being transmitted back along the rod, which is great when doing marker-float work.

“Yes, there are some waters that require a bigger cast and I have used my 12-footers recently but for 90 per cent of my fishing I use 9-footers.

“In the modern carp scene there are still lads on big pits casting 110, 120, 130 yards, but in the last 10 to 15 years there’s been an explosion of smaller carp waters where your longest cast is just 50 yards or so.

"On those waters, and almost all the waters I fish, a shorter rod is just a more pleasurable experience all round.”

LONG RODS

Bryan generally advocates longer rods

Bryan Jarrett, boss of Hinders tackle shop and casting tutor

“I’ve used the shorter rods from Kevin Nash and they are quite nice but most people who come to me for casting tuitions are using 12ft rods and we initially get them to use their own rods.

"I’d say 95 per cent of people are still using 12-footers.

“In my own fishing I use a 12ft 6in rod. That extra length just gives it that little bit more power and more oomph.

"In my case, I chose the rod because of the action – it was just such a fast taper.

“Some people do come to us looking for smaller rods because they might have trouble with tight swims or small holdalls but the most important things when it comes to choosing a rod are the test curve and the action.

"It all depends what you want to do with the rod.

“If you’ve got a rod that is produced in a 12ft and a 13ft version, then the 13ft can actually be the slightly softer one in quite a lot of cases.

“In terms of balance, you obviously don’t want a tiny rod with a massive big-pit reel on the end, so if you are looking at fishing at any real range then I would certainly go for the longer rods.

"The smaller rods create a much smaller arc during casting which just doesn’t provide as much power.”